Children of the Damned
by jondy09
Summary: AU, 2009: After a failed escape attempt the remains of unit 12 are hauled off to Psyops each emerges as the 'perfect soldier'. They must fight to regain their humanity after the horrors they endured.
1. Prologue

**A/N- Please review; if no one does I won't know whether or not to update any more of the story! (I realize this is rather short but anything would be great) Constructive criticism is welcome and encouraged!! And many thanks to Moonlitestar for being my Beta reader **

**Manticore**

**Gillette, Wyoming 2009 **

X5-210 (or 'Jondy', as she had been named by the rest of unit twelve) emerged from the black void of unconsciousness, her head throbbing in excruciating pain. Once she managed to wrench her mind away from the pulsing inside her shaved head, she noticed a glaring white light that penetrated her closed eyelids. She tried in vain to open them, but they felt as though they were weighed down with sand bags. Cold metal cuffs securing her to a cot bit into her pale skin. Her mind was hazy and sluggish, hindering her as she fought to recollect what had happened to leave her in such a state. She racked her brain trying to figure out her last memory. Finally, the fog lifted and the horrible scenes that had taken place only hours before flooded her nine year old head.

The last thing she remembered was her baby sister, X5-452 (a.k.a. 'Max'), falling from the perimeter fence screaming in pain – a sniper's bullet ripped through her femur. Jondy immediately jumped down to help, tearing a piece of her flimsy grey-blue military issued gown to make a tourniquet. She had been so wrapped up in caring for her sister that even with her sensitive hearing, she had been oblivious to the men surrounding her. By the time she saw them, it was too late. She rushed towards the nearest man but fell before reaching him, her body twitching from the multitude of tasers that had found their target. She shivered involuntarily with that memory; her sister's blood had seemed to mar so much of the white February snow surrounding them.

A door scraped open somewhere near her, but the sound seemed to be coming through water, as if she were submerged in the tank. She had enough presence of mind to fake REM movements so whoever this intruder was wouldn't bother her. The person moved to the left side of her bed, their shoes making a clicking sound as they walked. She could hear beeping near her; there were monitors next to her – she must be in the infirmary. The person touched her arm and she flinched.

"I didn't mean to wake you," the female voice said. She sounded exhausted, but there was some other emotion in her voice Jondy couldn't quite place. The closest feeling she could think of was how she had felt the time she saw an X5 from another unit being yelled at – sorrow. "But I need to take your blood pressure. All those tasers had some bad effects, as you can tell. I need to be sure nothing is going haywire." The woman lifted her arm, gently placing the blood pressure cuff around it. The cuff tightened and a few seconds later, the women informed her, "You're blood pressure's fine." She took off the cuff and squeezed Jondy's hand, another oddity coming from this woman. "My name's Amy by the way," she introduced as she fiddled with the monitors. She placed something hard and cool under Jondy's left hand. "It's a call light. Do you feel that button?" Jondy nodded; there was a soft, raised bump in the center of the object. "Press it if you need anything." Jondy nodded again; the woman's shoes clicked softly as she walked to the door.

Jondy wasn't used to anyone other than her 'siblings' acting kindly towards her; she wanted to see this strange woman. She tried opening her hazel eyes and eventually succeeded, but everything was blurry. The light was even brighter now that her eyes were open; the bonds on her wrists and ankles weren't as tight as they had seemed when she had awakened. She stretched as best she could in an effort to loosen up her taut muscles. She then proceeded to wiggle her extremities to make sure she still had full mobility, which she did. After running a series of checks on her body, she contemplated calling in the woman with the clicking shoes; her innate curiosity made her push the button. The woman walked in hurriedly; Jondy saw her shoes were white high heels. That explained the clicking when she walked. Amy's eyes met hers; they were a pure deep blue to the point of being almost violet. Her shoulder length light brown hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. Jondy noticed that in the glaring light, her hair seemed to shimmer; golden strands interspersed in her brown hair glowed under the light. Jondy yearned for long hair like Amy's. "What do you need, sweetie?" _'Sweetie?'_ What was a sweetie? She was a soldier! Jondy swallowed hard, well aware of the fact that the question she was about to ask could have an unwanted answer.

"How is M-452 doing?"

The woman smiled warmly. "She'll be fine, she got out of surgery a few hours ago."

Jondy nodded, sending a prayer of thanks to the Blue Lady. "And…the rest of my unit?" she asked tentatively.

Amy's shocking eyes clouded in sadness as she replied, "Three killed, two wounded and a total of nine recovered."

Jondy nodded again wondering who had made it out.

"Anything else?"

"No," Jondy whispered. "Thank you, ma'am."

Amy left, her white shoes still clicking. That could get on a person's nerves, Jondy thought as her mind drifted away from the escape. She suddenly wished she could have long hair. Hers would probably be light brown too. She imagined what Maxie's would be. She thought it would be deep, chocolate brown. A smile played on her lips as she imagined her sibs with civilian hair styles. Since she never slept, she passed hours imagining them all grown up looking like the only civilians she knew – doctors and nurses.

She didn't know how much time had passed when the door opened again. Amy came in and began undoing the wires attached to her. "You're being transferred," Amy explained. Cold fear gripped her insides; she knew exactly what that meant: Psy-ops. They don't waste any time, Jondy thought as the last wire was disconnected.

Three guards appeared at the doorway; Amy undid her restraints and helped Jondy off the bed. She was unsteady at first, but she regained her equilibrium by the time she reached the men. She forced her dread deep within herself, trying to suppress the memories of her brother X5-493 (a.k.a 'Ben') who was in Psy-ops for a week for being caught at the High Place. She was led to the basement where a male doctor with curly brown hair stood in a nondescript room with drab grey walls. She paused at the doorway one second too long, so the men dragged her to the chair. The doctors attached wires to her head so they could monitor her brain waves. The chair reclined so that she was lying down. A metal clamp was placed over her right eye, making it impossible for her to close it. A laser was placed before her, and it's red light beamed into her eye. Images swam before her:

**MISSION **

_A soldier jumping in front of a superior officer to take a bullet for him _

**DUTY **

_Soldiers running into a burning building right after it exploded _

**DISCIPLINE **

_Soldiers being yelled at for disobeying an order and then being punished _

_Soldiers doing grueling training _

**TEAMWORK **

_A platoon helping a group of wounded people _

**THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO BAD SOLDIERS **

_Jack lying on a table to be dissected _

_Max begging for them to stop hurting her _

_Eva being shot _

_Zack being poked and prodded _

_Tinga drowning but still chained to the bottom of the tank _

_Ben in Psy-ops _

_Brin stuck in a box that kept compressing _

_Krit being eaten by the nomalies _

**TRAITOR **

_Syl _(a searing pain seemed to erupt over her entire body) _'no X5-701' _

**DESERTER **

_Brin_ (her eyes burned) _'no X5-734' _they were trying to erase the idea of names. It had bred individuality which was a symptom of their over-independence.

**SNAKE **

_Ben_ (she felt as if a million daggers were being thrust into her simultaneously) _'X5-493' _

**PLAGUE**

_Krit_ (her body was on fire)_ 'X5-471' _

The images and sounds repeated for hours on end until she began to believe the lies, but she still held out part of her being. After what seemed like an eternity of re-indoctrination, she heard a sound that chilled her blood. Her CO, oldest brother, and protector, who unbeknownst to her, had sacrificed himself to save her, was sobbing, crying out that he had failed his charges. That foreign sound broke her resolve.

**November 15th 2009 **

**Solitary Confinement 2400 **

210 had been to Psy-ops more times then she could keep track. She knew some of her siblings had escaped due to the fact that they had been drilled into her brain as rats, deserters and traitors. The door to her cell creaked open. She blinked, her eyes trying to adjust to the light flooding the small windowless room. Someone ordered her into the hallway. She squeezed her eyes shut once more. When she opened them, the tough, weathered guard almost jumped back; her eyes were dead and devoid of any feeling. She obeyed the guard without thought; her red rimmed eyes and unnaturally pale skin combined with the look on her face kept the man from berating her for being slow. She emerged from the basement knowing who and what she was: X5-210.

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	2. Convergance

**March 2010**

**Unit 12R Barracks 0400**

The shrill sound of reveille blared throughout Unit Twelve's barracks. Four child soldiers in the dreary grey room immediately rose from their hard bunks and began changing from their military issued smocks into light green fatigues specially tailored to their small bodies. The room flooded with harsh florescent light and the door leading out to the hallway made grating noises as the five locks securing it were opened, revealing a middle-aged blond man with an aura of authority exuding from him.

"FALL IN!" he barked.

They each stood in front of their cots straight as boards. Their eyes hardened and stared straight ahead. The man walked down the line inspecting each bed, trunk and stance. He finally nodded to himself and addressed them.

"You're going on your first search and retrieve mock mission since you were reunited as a unit." His voice took on a cold inflection as he continued, "Albeit a pathetic excuse for one."

X5-210's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly at the insult from her superior officer. In return he glared at her, challenging her to commit any other insubordinate action.

She acquiesced, not daring to step out of line. He led them silently through the maze of dark corridors equipped with surveillance cameras until they reached a door leading outside. The man leaned in, allowing his retina to be scanned, and the door clicked open. He took them to the edge of the woods were a soldier was waiting with a civilian man. Lydecker motioned for the civilian to follow the group, and they continued into the woods. Stopping in a large clearing, he spoke to the captive.

"You know what the rules are don't you?" The man nodded so Lydecker continued, "If you succeed, you're a free man. Fail, and it's back to death row." He handed the man a knife and a gun, giving him a final warning, "Don't underestimate them."

The man ran off into the woods; 210 waited impatiently as he counted down the seconds. When he finally released them, she tore after the man. She was the fastest of any of them. They once heard a TAC joking that she could probably outrun machine gun fire.

He tried firing his hand gun but his shot missed; she blurred towards him, wrenching the gun from his hands. He pulled out a knife and thrust it into 210's forearm. With the rush from adrenaline, his speed increased a hundred fold, catching 210 slightly off-guard. Blood poured from the wound, but she ignored it as she lunged at him. X5-798, who had been either too afraid or too loyal to Manticore to follow them out the jagged window that night, ran to the pair locked in battle. A well placed kick in his knee cap made a sickening crunching sound and caused the prisoner to crumple into a heap on the ground. The group swarmed around the fallen man, their eyes ablaze with a new darkness; 599 kicked the man in rage after seeing what had happened to his 'sister'. X5s- 661 and 308 followed his lead. Within seconds, the inmate's screams filled the chilly morning air.

Lydecker watched the young soldiers and wondered what part of Search and _Retrieve _his kids hadn't understood. He signaled to a group of TACs, who immediately moved in and ordered the unit to stand down. 599 gave the bleeding man one last savage kick before he stepped away and saw the damage he and his miniscule unit had imparted, but he didn't care. The TACs told 798, who was already tending to 210, to escort the prisoner and her unit mate to the Infirmary. The odd trio slowly made it to the base; the eldest continually shot the ten-year-olds apprehensive and awe-filled glances. Walking into the medical wing, they were greeted by Amy. The woman's large eyes widened at the site of the haggard, beaten man and the X5 bleeding profusely at the arm.

"T-this way," she stuttered leading the man into the closest examination room.

As she walked away, she glanced over her shoulder, emotions dancing across her face in quick succession; sadness intermingled with fear and confusion. A staff nurse followed her in, and Amy reappeared minutes later. "Come over here," she told 210 and 798.

They went into another cold, dreary room. The woman smiled tentatively, but it didn't reach her eyes. She studied the wound, pursing her lips and with a sigh, she left the room. When she returned, she had a brown eyed woman in her thirties with dark blonde hair in tow. 210's eyes bugged out, and she suppressed the urge to gasp. There was no way that woman was going to touch her! She glared openly at the woman, well aware of how her actions could be perceived by command, and dropped into a fighting stance.

"Restrain her." The woman said apathetically. Amy looked at 210 guiltily as she moved toward her, but 210 had an identical look in her eyes as she darted out of reach.

"I want another doctor," she growled, adding "ma'am", as an afterthought.

Vertes looked at the X5, bewildered at her aversion. Perhaps she had experimented on her in the past? They all looked and acted so similar, so there was no way to tell. She spoke in terms the girl would understand, "Stand _down_ soldier. Or I'll be forced to report you to Col. Lydecker."

210 looked from Amy to Vertes, weighing her options. Any more insolence would likely land her back in Psy-ops. Hoping Amy would stay, she allowed Vertes to approach her. The woman grabbed her arm, careful not to injure her further, and began inspecting the wound. Speaking to Amy as if the two girls weren't there, she rattled off the supplies she would need. The younger woman left, returning with an armful of supplies. Vertes went to work methodically. As soon as she was done, she briskly walked out of the room without a word to any of them. Amy's eyebrows lifted as she whispered, "I see why you don't like her."

Before 210 could stop any further display of weakness, a ghost of a smile reached her lips.

Amy smiled back. "I have to go check on my other patient, but I'll be back, ok?" 210 nodded.

As soon as Amy left the room, 798 turned to 210. "What were you thinking!? That doctor almost reported you to the Colonel! Do you want to get us all thrown back in Psy-ops or worse?"

210 didn't meet her sister's eyes. She knew she had endangered her unit, and for what? Fear? Good soldiers didn't feel fear, she reminded herself. Looking up, she whispered, "I'm sorry."

She had always been bad at admitting she was wrong, but this time there was no denying it – 798 was right. She fully understood her sister's feelings; after all, she was just beginning to regain her toffee complexion. 210 slid off the table and walked to the door, spying on the proceedings in the room across the hall. "I wonder why they're treating him. They'll have to terminate him."

798 looked too. "Maybe they want to experiment on him or use him for more training missions," she hypothesized nonchalantly. A small laugh escaped her as she thought aloud, "After all, now he'll run faster."

210 turned to her sibling, realizing that more then just her color was returning. But the girls' mask had been replaced, and the only thing that met her eyes was a shell. That was fast, she thought as she turned away. Then she saw what had caused the transformation. Colonel Lydecker approached the room, and she unconsciously snapped to attention.

"At ease soldiers," he said, a hint of approval slipping through his militaristic voice. "You've been cleared to return to the barracks. At 0800, TAC Sgt. Kallins will inform you of your training schedule for the day." 798 and 210 nodded in unison and marched after a guard who had accompanied the prisoner earlier in the day.

When they entered the barracks, 599, 661 and 803 stood up, but they waited until the door slid close to greet their siblings.

"You did well today." 599 said approvingly.

"You really think so?" 798 asked, surprised. "You don't think the colonel is disappointed?"

The CO's eyes knitted in confusion, "Disappointed? Why would he be disappointed in us?"

"We damaged the target unnecessarily," 798 stated.

661 shook his head, "We were ordered to retrieve the target, which we would have done eventually had the TACs not interrupted us. Yes, we damaged the target, but it was only after _he _injured 210. If he was needed for questioning he would have been able withstand interrogation. We didn't hurt him too much," he finished with a smirk. "Besides, he hurt 210 – what should we have done? Let him try to slice her jugular?" Nonetheless his sisters' questions were making 803 nervous,

"Are you sure he's not angry? Last time… with the nomalie...he had a strange look on his face when he saw its body."

599 sighed heavily, "He's _not _angry. The only reason he was upset last time was because we didn't follow orders and terminated the target. This time, the prisoner is still alive. What did he expect us to do when he sent as after a nomalie? That _thing _probably hurt 417." The group lapsed into silence remembering their weak brother.

798 was the first to speak, "We saw that doctor today." The other three looked at her uncomprehendingly, so she elaborated. "The woman who broke 210's femur about a year and a half ago."

Their expressions morphed from puzzlement into loathing.

"Oh" was all 599 said. He hated anyone who threatened his unit, what little was left of it.

"So what?" 803 asked.

"210 almost got thrown back into Psy-ops." That got 599's attention. "She almost attacked her."

"I did not!" 210 countered. "I dropped into a fighting stance when I saw her. It was instinctual, like the colonel says it must be. She broke my leg before; I just didn't want her coming near me when I was wounded."

"Just don't let it happen again," 599 warned. Although he wouldn't let his unit know, he was thinking that had it been him in 210's place, he would have attacked the woman immediately.

The door creaked open and TAC Sgt. Kallins entered the room. In a fraction of a second, they were off 599's bunk and in linear formation. After scrutinizing them, he began yelling, "Fall IN! LEFT FACE! For-WARD MARCH!"

Following him, they left the barracks and soon found their way to classroom A-1. Lydecker was already there waiting with a projector. They spent hours in the room learning how to assemble and disassemble various bombs and high-powered weapons. As the sky darkened, they were led to the firing range. Parts belonging to over ten different weapons lay strewn in piles. Each of them was given one minute to assemble all the weapons in their piles. After finishing, they had to switch and take apart everything in the new pile. They continued this monotony until each of them had assembled and disassembled every pile. Boredom nearly caused 210 to attack one of handlers, but the routine was interrupted when they were given magazines. Now her face was in jeopardy of lighting up as she was handed the gift. Her fingers itched, waiting for the command to load and fire at the clay birds that had begun zipping through the starry night sky. The view of the stars was obstructed by glaring searchlights sweeping the compound as they did every night. But she could still see their twinkling which reminded her of little bombs going off. She wondered momentarily if that was what the Good Place was like; beautiful grenades exploding all the time... Or was that the Bad Place? But her train of thought was interrupted as another slew of discs danced through the air.

**Unit 12R Barracks 2200 **

210's face was flushed from the earlier excitement of shooting at the little moving targets. She hurried to get into her gown before the small barracks plunged into darkness. A guard yelled, "LIGHTS OUT!" from somewhere in the labyrinth of hallways outside the secured door.

She thought about her brothers' comments earlier that day. She desperately wanted the Colonel to think they were good soldiers. Hopefully 599 was right. If he was, maybe 452 would come back sooner. Thinking of her sister only made her want to leave her bunk more. The icy look perpetually in 599's eyes, which seemed to dare anyone to break a rule, stopped her most nights. But maybe Amy would know something about 452 or whether Lydecker was happy with them. After all, she was a nurse, so she might be one of the few who would invariably be monitoring 452. She was a civilian too, so she knew more about the whole emotions thing.

Making up her mind 210 crept stealthily to an air duct. She opened the grate as noiselessly as possible and crawled into it. Moving around in the cramped tunnels, she finally made her way to one of vents overlooking the Infirmary. She began to maneuver herself so that she could open the grate but the sound of voices below made her freeze.

"What the hell were your 'kids' doing today? That man has five broken ribs, a broken nose, a fractured tibia and minor internal bleeding." A woman, who 210 recognized as Dr. Vertes, asked.

"They got a little… upset when he injured X5-210. It's not a big deal; I'll have to talk to them before I try another similar exercise. It doesn't seem to be their strong point," he said with a touch of irony, then he added, "But I can't really blame them. They were designed to kill, coldly, efficiently and happily. When that man wounded one of their own, he triggered their attack," he said with satisfaction. "Plus they have great loyalty to each other, which is good as long as it doesn't compromise the mission. They were just being a bit over protective." So he was happy with them, 210 noted, relieved. Below her, Vertes said nothing so Lydecker continued, "What I want to know is what happened earlier between you and 210."

"The charge nurse told me an X5 was wounded, so I followed her to one of the rooms. As soon as I entered, the X5 glared at me and dropped into a fighting stance. I told the nurse to restrain her, but she flitted out of reach and growled at the nurse, saying something about wanting another doctor. I told the girl I'd report her to you if she didn't cooperate. Is she one of the Xs my group has experimented on?"

Lydecker withheld a sigh as he thought for a moment before finally replying, "Yes, that's probably why she reacted the way she did. And then what happened?"

"And then nothing. She allowed me to treat her, and I left to look after the man she had almost beaten to death."

"Adrianna, they did not almost beat him to death. Besides, we will have to kill him eventually. You need to distance yourself."

Vertes snorted, "Like you distance yourself from the X series?"

"That's different."

"Yeah, whatever, just don't come crying to me when your _kids _end up ruining a mission because of their precious loyalty." The colonel, crying? That would never happen, 210 thought, amused at the preposterous idea. It was like saying the colonel knew how to smile. That image almost made her laugh out loud. The pair below her left the room. Amy obviously wasn't around so she crawled back through the tunnels. When she reached the opening, the grate had been replaced. 210 tried pushing it open, but it wouldn't budge.

"You shouldn't have done it," a bitter remote voice intoned.

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	3. New Words

**Unit 12R Barracks **

**2230 **

The grate was yanked from its place, and a furious 599 pulled her out roughly, his eyes burning into her like coals.

"You're not allowed out of bed after lights out," he said in eerie monotone.

"I know," she mumbled, biting her lip and not meeting his eyes. He let out a long sigh before speaking,

"Are you trying to get us terminated?"

"No, sir!" she replied automatically.

"Then how could you risk endangering your entire unit, your _family?_" he yelled as he pushed her to the ground.

She fell but rolled backward, and using her momentum, she stood at ease in one fluid motion. Her stance sent mix messages. She was showing a little respect by standing in formation, but she had not stand at attention. He decided to ignore her posture and continued.

"Don't ever sneak out again," he said in a dangerously quite voice. "What if a superior officer had come in for a surprise after-hours inspection or we had been taken on a night mission? What would have happened? The entire unit would have been punished for you disobedience! Did you even think about that, about _us_?"

Her hazel eyes were glued to the floor; she was expecting another blow from her oldest brother. The same one who, six years ago, had gotten himself sent to solitary when he broke TAC leader Kallins' arm for making 210 cry when he punished her for shining her shoes incorrectly. 210 was brought back to the present as her CO continued addressing her, "I should report you to the colonel." He paused, "But I won't."

She looked up from the floor in shock; he wasn't going to turn her in! She hoped he'd explain why he was blatantly disregarding procedure, but instead, his smoldering eyes snapped to meet hers; they softened for a nanosecond before icing over as he ordered her back to her pallet. The look had been so swift that she wasn't even sure it had really happened.

She lay down on the hard surface, rolled over on her side, so she was facing the door and tucked her hand under her chin. Closing her eyes, she tried the breathing exercise they had been taught to compartmentalize pain, but she soon realized that it didn't work for this type of injury. Granted her brother had not reported her but the fact he had pushed her made her insides feel funny, similar to what the medical staff had explained internal bleeding would feel like. She rolled to her left and looked at the empty bed next to her. Recalling the last time a cot had gone empty, filled her with cold nausea. That empty bed had been reason they had tried to escape. She slapped herself mentally; there was no reason to escape now – the seizures had been fixed, and she understood why they were 'expendable'. It was their purpose in life, to be good soldiers. And all soldiers, even Col. Lydecker, were expendable to some degree. Good soldiers were expected to be obedient and accept losses as they came, and then move on. If a fellow officer was K.I.A by the enemy, they were expected to channel that grief into productivity! A rasping noise from the bed directly across from her interrupted her thoughts. 803 seemed to be waking up. Except for herself, 452 and 766, he needed the least sleep out of any of the X series. A small smile danced on her lips as she recalled the stories X5-493 used to tell at night (when they were supposed to be asleep) about the outside. She shook her head as if trying to clear it, 599 was right (again) – she was going to get them all killed if she wasn't careful.

**Colonel Lydecker's Office**

**0530 **

Colonel Lydecker sat back in his black leather chair, sipping coffee from his favorite silver colored mug as he watched a security feed he had been given from the previous night.

He had mixed feelings about the events that had taken place. On one hand, X5-210 snuck out, but conversely X5-599 had reprimanded her. Although he had not reported her infraction to a superior officer like protocol demanded…that could be a sign of subversive inclinations or loyalty to his unit mate, or even simply a matter of not wanting to be punished. He tapped his pen on the desk in thought – was there a way to make the air vent un-navigable? Obviously air had to be circulated through the room, and redoing the entire ventilation system was out of the question. Lydecker frowned as a thought came to him; perhaps he could just install more security, that way he would know where the kids went and what they were up to. As long as they didn't begin to show signs of their previous independence, it could prove to be a very interesting experiment. He laughed to himself – he was beginning to sound like that experiment obsessed bitch. That thought sobered him. If he didn't find the rest of unit twelve soon, the committee would consider her for a promotion.

**Mess Hall **

**0600 **

A 70-year-old woman, whose thin, grey hair was trapped in a hairnet, piled a lump of grey mush onto 210's plate. Walking down the line, she was given a large cup of water with assorted pills. Still shaken up from the earlier events, she slid into the seat furthest away from 599. Waiting until 803 and 661 sat down, she picked up her spoon and began forcing her way through the gruel. She noted that today, it didn't taste as bad as it looked; there was a hint of molasses. Although it was filled with at least 60 kids, ranging in age from 5 to 20 years old, the room was silent. So, everyone turned when the large metal door slammed open, revealing four guards escorting two small soldiers. 210's eyes bugged out as she realized the children who could have passed for a combination of concentration camp survivors and zombies were her sisters! Their eyes were rimmed in dark purple, and their checks were sallow. 452 and… 766? How was that possible? She remembered her sister dead on the floor, shot by the gun in the Colonel's hand. Rage threatened to boil up inside of her as she remembered the gun flying out of her 2IC's hand and sliding in front of her bare feet.

The two girls walked over to unit twelve's small table and sat down. They looked ahead, not speaking or moving. TAC leader Kallins stood at the end of their table glaring at the new arrivals. "Welcome back," he sneered. Their heads whipped around so they were staring past him blankly. "I see you have _finally _passed psych eval. Was it fun?"

They continued staring but didn't answer him.

"Well?"

"Sir, I..." 766 flicked her eyes towards 452 before continuing in monotone, "We, don't understand your question."

He raised his eyebrows, feigning surprise. "Oh? What don't you understand?"

766 furrowed her brow, and then fought to smooth her pale features before attempting to comprehend the TAC officer.

"Sir, we passed Psychological Evaluation three months ago. We both sustained injuries as a result of our… treason and had to report to the Rehabilitation wing of the Infirmary. Colonel Lydecker released us today with orders to report to the Mess Hall."

"But did you have fun?"

210 looked at the TAC leader oddly. What did he mean? And why was he asking her such a question? As far as she could tell, it was irrelevant.

"Sir?"

"Fun, 766…"

"Sir, what is fun?"

The TAC leader smiled triumphantly and was about continue toying with the simplified X5s when his watch alarm sounded announcing the end of breakfast. He wiped the smile off his face and yelled, "Ok soldiers, put your trays away and fall in, NOW!"

All eight blurred into pairs awaiting his order to march; when it came they left the noiseless room for the empty hallways. Marching with their fist's balled and arms bent at the elbows in 90˚ angles, they reached the gym.

From there, TAC specialist O'Neil took over. After running through some new combinations, he divided them into sparring pairs.

"803 and 661."

The two boys moved to mats and faced each other.

"798 pair off with 599, 724 you're with 766, and 452 with 210."

When everyone was facing their respective partner in a fighting stance, O'Neil blew his whistle and sounds of yells and flesh on flesh filled the gym. Other TACs walked around observing their martial arts skills. Making sure that along with the new combinations they used a variety of punches, throws and kicks from many different styles instead of just the four or five they were most comfortable with. 452 hooked 210's chin, driving it upwards with a pop. 210 stumbled backwards and retaliated with a roundhouse kick to her partner's neck. But 452 grabbed her leg and twisted and 210 fell. 452 landed on top of her and forced 210 on her stomach. She pushed her knee into 210's calf. She tapped her hand on the blue mat but 452 didn't move. O'Neil blew his whistle, and everyone stood facing their partner again. 210 accidentally caught her sisters' eyes and winced. 452 smiled back; she misinterpreted the wince as pain from the fight. But 210 recoiled at the dead look in the other girls' chocolate brown eyes.

They switched partners, and 210 ended up with 661. The spark of mischief in his blue-green eyes reminded her of the light that used to be in 452's. Thinking about it infuriated her. She decided to make that light go out. As soon as the annoying high pitched whistle sounded, she erupted in a flurry of punches and kicks. A well aimed knee to his groin took him down. Once on the ground, she continued striking his face until O'Neil came over,

"210!" She looked up, and then looked down at 661; bruises were already forming on his face. She got off of him and helped him up. "Escort him to the infirmary."

The two young soldiers clad in grey shorts and T-shirts rounded the corner to the Infirmary. Amy looked up and noticed 210 helping a male X5 down the hall.

"210 and..."

"X5-661, ma'am," 661 mumbled through a swollen lip.

"So, what happened?"

"We were sparring ma'am," 210 answered innocently. They went into room 15 and Amy began applying ointment to his cuts.

Why had she lost control? She wasn't angry with 661. In fact, she really wasn't angry at 452; just… upset? Sad?

She could have put him put him out of commission for a week at the rate she had been going. She used to talk to 452 or 766 about all kinds of problems, and she would ask 493 or 599 any questions the other two couldn't answer, but 493 was AWOL and the other three weren't exactly approachable right now. Perhaps she could talk to Amy? The women seemed nice enough. She wasn't like Dr. Vertes or some of the techs who were all too happy to hold you down during experiments when you got out of the restraints. But then again, she had seen that look in her eyes yesterday. It was the same look 417 had when 493 talked about the nomalies – fear. Maybe she had been afraid of the target; yes, that was it! She had been afraid of the target!

"Ok, all done."

210 looked up as Amy finished putting away her ointments and gauze. He looked like a nomalie. Had she hurt him so badly that all the medicine was necessary, even with their enhanced healing abilities?

"You may go."

661 walked out, and Amy began walking away, but 210 tapped her arm,

"Permission to speak."

Amy looked down at her. Before yesterday, she hadn't really seen how much damage the X5s were capable of inflicting. In a way, it scared her to be alone in the room with an uninjured one. Nonetheless, the look in this X5's eyes prevented her from sending her away.

"Of course."

"What is _fun_?"

Amy looked at her strangely before talking. "It is hard to explain. Is there anything you enjoy doing?"

210 considered the question. "Well, before… 493 would tell us stories after lights out about the Blue Lady, Nomalies and..." she stopped.

"And?" Amy prodded.

"The outside," she whispered. Then she moved to leave. Today just wasn't her day; this conversation was turning dangerous. Amy understood what was happening. 210 felt threatened talking about 'forbidden' things, but she could identify; any unnecessary conversation between them could have disastrous consequences for her too.

"It's ok," she said gently. "I won't tell anyone."

"I have to go catch up with 661 before he gets back to the gym without me." Again she made an effort to go.

"Wait! I could write you a note saying I needed to look at your leg."

210 glanced at her leg. She_ had_ been limping, and that could affect her work in the field. Anything deterring from her performance had to be avoided. They still seemed to be on an unspoken probation. Making up her mind, she nodded and sat down on the nearest chair; it was a plausible story.

"So, you liked listening to 493 tell stories?"

"Yes, well not always. Sometimes he would tell scary stories about the outside or the Bad Place."

"The Bad Place?"

"It's where bad soldiers go. They put you in the basement with the nomalies. And the nomalies keep you as a prisoner of war. They drink your blood and eat you up little by little forever."

Amy just stared at the eleven year old, but 210 was oblivious to her discomfort, "You never got around to answering me; what is fun?"

"Well, anything you enjoy doing is fun."

"So, stories are fun?"

"Yes. But it can be anything you like, not just stories. Anything you enjoy doing is fun. It is relative. What else do you like?"

"My favorite training missions are Escape and Evade. 452 and I were always the best." Her face fell as she remembered her first hour with her sisters. Amy moved towards her and tried to touch her arm reassuringly, but 210 instinctively pulled away. She hated when people touched her; it was usually followed by pain.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" There it was again: 'sweetie'.

"452 and 766 were released from solitary today, and they're different… just, I don't know… good I guess…."

Amy nodded in understanding she'd heard the stories of what they did to simplify and re-condition the renegade soldiers. She attempted a smile as she whispered, "I'm sure she'll pull through – you did after all."

210 nodded, but was that a good thing? Was being a 'sweetie' what got you taken to the basement? "What is a 'sweetie'?"

"It is a word used to describe someone who is nice."

"One more thing before I go; can you explain emotions to me?"

Amy paused for a moment. "I can't _explain_ emotions. They just happen."

"Last night I..." her voice lowered to a whisper, "tried sneaking out. 599 caught me and yelled at me. My insides got all twisted up, and I felt sick, especially after he pushed me."

"You were probably sad because someone you lo-like hurt you."

Sad- that was what you were supposed to channel into anger. Sad was something soldiers didn't feel. She understood that word, but she still didn't understand the feelings inside her because they couldn't be 'sad'. Again, she reminded herself it didn't matter; feelings were dangerous. If you let emotions cloud your judgment, you'd make mistakes in critical situations. Not only did emotions get you thrown in the basement, they also got you K.I.A. She chewed on her lip as she contemplated them. Finally she stood up, rolled her neck, cracked it, and asked for Amy to write her a note. After getting the note, she ran from the Infirmary and back to the Gym where the rest of the X5s had joined unit twelve.

She surveyed her unit and thought of the 'fun' they used to have together. Walking over to join her unit and standing in between 452 and 766 she wondered: if 'sweetie' meant a nice person, why did Amy keep calling her one? Nice people were weak and got their unit killed. She couldn't get the idea out of her head; she was going to be the ruin of them. Why was she so, so _human_?

**Come on you've gotten this far; what is a few more seconds for reviewing? PLEASE REVIEW!!!!**


	4. A Lesson

**A/N: Needs work, really short, I know... I just felt REALLY bad for not updating in forever, so I figured I miswell put up the next part**

A few weeks went by and 210 retreated into her shell. She gave her all during training but the rest of the time she acted like her simplified sisters.

One night as she lay awake on her mattress she heard a mewing sound and turned to see 425 with tears streaming down her face. Against her better judgment she got up and lay down next to her sister, holding her tightly like she used to when 452 would have seizures. She didn't let go until 452 turned around and faced her. Her eyes were puffy but they held more then just a blank stare.

"Thanks" she said simply.

210 smiled, "No problem Maxie." The forbidden name was out of her mouth before she could stop it. 452 closed her eyes and remained silent for a minute, the entire time 210's heart was pounding. But when she opened them, there was a spark in her almond eyes. The simple use of her name triggered a barrage of memories. It reminded her of the warm, happy times with her siblings. The memories months of psy-ops had managed to veil in a cloud of darkness and lies. It was like the clamp that held her at the bottom of the water tank had sprung open. She smiled and was about to let out a laugh but 210 covered her mouth.

"Jo..j..jon..jj..jondy!" She managed whispered through 210's fingers, "What are you doing?" Jondy put her finger to her lips and then motioned towards 599.

"Zack isn't himself yet…"

**Surveillance Station **

**0100**

Lydecker had been called down as soon as x5-210 made physical contact with x5-452.

_Renfro is going to have my head, why is the psy-ops failing?? _Disgruntled the colonel stormed out of the office and went directly to their barracks. In a flurry he unlocked the door and stomped inside.

Max and Jondy had been too wrapped up in talking to each other. They didn't have time to get back to their respective bunks.

Lydecker inhaled sharply. "FALL IN!" The others in the unit jumped up, startled by his presence. "FOLLOW ME, NOW" Jondy and Max gulped as they made eye contact. Zack was eyeing them suspiciously. They might be put in the bad place for this. Instead of marching them to psy-ops or the basement where the nomalies were hidden, he took them into one of the classrooms.

"Private, I want you to call all off duty personnel and tell them to get their asses in the base 5 minutes ago."

Sighing, Lydecker faced them. "NO more names. NO MORE emotions. They make you weak. You are going to get everyone here killed with your sloppiness. Do you know what happens when a soldier lets emotions in?? They get themselves and everyone else killed, worse, they don't accomplish the objective. ALL soldiers are expendable, especially ones who have already betrayed command. EVERYONE in this compound knows you are failures. In case it hasn't gotten through your thick heads, your superiors are watching you 24 hours a day. If I ever see any of you talking to staff without being spoken to first, talking to each other about anything other then a current training exercise or displaying emotion, especially affection, I will personally put each one of you with the x2s. DISMISSED."

They lined up to leave. "EXCEPT 452 and 210." _He's going to feed us to the nomalies! This is all my fault, how could I be so human? I got us killed. _

"I don't even know what to do with the two of you. Do you want to be put on the outside? Your siblings have all been killed on the outside. _Syl _and _Krit_ were murdered by the Russian government because even their corpses are worth millions. _Brin _contracted a disease we would have been able to save her from if she was home. I don't want to do this, but you've left me no choice. The director will be here in a few minutes to deal with you."

"Watch them!" He screamed at the guards as he rushed out.

About 5 minutes after the colonel left, a woman with unnatural short blonde hair entered.

She smirked at them. "STATE YOUR DESIGNATION"

"x5-210"

"x5-452"

"You don't fool me, I know all about your behavior. Don't worry; I'm not going to hand you over to the scientists _yet_. I think I might know what will cure this insubordination. Just remember, you are NOTHING but meat to me. I could shoot you right now and still have a hundred soldiers just as good. In fact, if it were totally up to me, I would."

_What is she going to do to us? Maybe psy-ops would have been better. _

Glaring at the shaven heads of the soldiers, Renfro went over her plan. _This had to work. Otherwise those idiot psychologists would be fired within the hour and they would just be the start of the on slot. _

Jondy couldn't stop herself from gasping as she rounded the corner; death would have been better. Yet, she steeled herself. They weren't going to break her will.

"452, over there!" The woman commanded, pointing to chair with full restraints. She walked over and two techs secured her, wrapping the restraints as tight as possible. "And you, over there!"

Jondy looked at the board with lots of dials that sat before her. "Push that button." Jondy hesitated, "PUSH THAT BUTTON, that's an ORDER!" She pushed it and Max yelped. "Now, push that one."

Jondy bit her lip. _Why couldn't I be the one in the chair?_ _I won't do it, I can't._

Studying the child, Renfro spoke, "PUSH IT NOW, or I will find another 'game' to play and it won't be nearly as gentle."

Jondy's heart was pounding at over 200 beats/minute. Growing pale, she locked eyes with her sister and passed out.

Rolling her eyes, Renfro turned towards the phone and called the on duty doctor. _Well, they'd failed the first test._


End file.
